The ability of the Little One to socialize develops gradually. The initial stimulation that can be conducted by parents is by social contact. Since birth, the Little One can receive stimulus and provide responses. Although with limitations, the Little One generally provides a response when hearing the mother’s voice or the cries of other babies. At the age of 6 months, the Little One is more skilled at communication. Within the age of 6 to 12 months, the Little One will receive various new experiences, including increasing their socialization abilities and gathering with others. The first place where the Little One learns to socialize is within the family environment. However, if the Little One is not accustomed to socializing with other individuals, they may eventually will feel reluctant to meet strangers and may even cry loudly due to fear. So, parents can introduce the Little One to other individuals outside the family circle at an early age. This is beneficial to help the Little One learn to interact and can prevent reluctances in interacting with other individuals. The initial phase of the socialization activity begins at the age of 6-12 months, but the Little One generally can entirely comprehend and actively participate at age 2-3 years. The development of communication abilities, such as the ability to say their first words, and motoric abilities, such as sitting independently, also play a role in building friendships with other children of the same age. Generally, infants enjoy meeting new friends but this may not be true for all children. Infants learn about what they like and dislike at the age of 8-9 months, when they are able to distinguish one individual from another. At this phase, usually friendships between babies begin to form. This is conveyed by Professor Sabina Pauen, an infant researcher from University of Heidelberg, Germany. To stimulate the Little One to socialize and interact with others, take your Little One for activities outside the house. See the following tips to facilitate the Little One to socialize:

• Explain to the Little One about the activities that they will do Do not underestimate the ability of the Little One to digest information and provide a response. Parents should provide an explanation to them prior to each activity. Even though they are not able to provide a verbal response, this does not mean that they do not need an introduction to the situation they are about to experience.
• Encourage the Little One to play with other infants Ensure that their meeting with other infants is an opportunity to learn about communication and socialization, such as playing together in the park of the residential complex. It is not necessary to do this every day, but this can be a fun and entertaining part of their routine.
• Allow other individuals to carry the Little One This will certainly train the Little One to manage their fear of meeting and interacting with strangers. Avoid forcing the Little One to be carried by another individual if they seem uncomfortable or if they cry, as it will take some time for them to get accustomed.
• Continue to form a communication bond with the Little One When socializing with the Little One, continue to explain to them the situation that they are experiencing. If the Little One cries, hug them tightly and calm them down with soft words. With this, the self confidence of the Little One will grow.

A Little One at the age of 6-12 months often still enjoys playing alone. They may appear ignorant about the presence of other children or perhaps cry due to fear. Parents should not worry, as the key to manage this is to often allow the Little One to meet other friends of their age group to enable them to adapt with the environment outside their family.